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Discmakers Pro Studio Edition Review

AmpliTube Fender Studio

AmpliTube 2 sounds and fx

AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix sounds and fx

AmpliTube Metal sounds and FX

StompIO features and software

AmpliTube Fender Studio & StompIO: Best Virtual Guitar Rigs
Discmakers’ Pro Studio Edition review virtual guitar rigs

Discmakers' Pro Studio Edition took a look at guitar and bass software/hardware combos on the market, and AmpliTube Fender Studio, StompIO, AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix and other "Powered by AmpliTube" software had the most shining comments in the article "Pro Studio: Virtual Guitar Rigs".

Quotes from the Discmakers' Pro Studio Edition featured review on AmpliTube Fender Studio:

"With its plug-and-play guitar jack-to-USB cable, all you need is a guitar and a computer with the AmpliTube Fender Studio installed and you're in business."

"Once you pick your amp head, you can choose from a range of open- and closed-back speaker cabinets, as well as Fender's vintage VibraTone rotary speaker. Mix and match heads and cabinets to customize your sound with just a click of your mouse. You can also choose the mic used to pick up the sound of the cabinet and jockey its position around to get more or less ambience in your tone. Toss in two virtual pedals, a tuner, a plug in called Speed Trainer (that allows you to record a popular song, then slow it down to learn the licks), plus a couple of rack mounted effects units, and the AmpliTube Fender Studio delivers a lot of bang for the buck. With a street price of $99, this product is a steal."

Quotes from the review on StompIO:

"One of the features we liked on the StompIO was that from any screen, we could easily get back to the tuner by tapping the tuner's dedicated foot switch. This was especially handy when we were using one of Ian's guitars tuned down two whole steps to C. You can also choose to have the tuner automatically mute the guitar output so you don't annoy your audience."

"Another useful feature is the StompIO's quick input level setting feature. This is particularly handy for live situations where you may be playing a guitar with active, high output pickups, then switch to a classic guitar, like a vintage '60s Strat. Each of the four lower bank foot switches (marked A-B-C-D) correspond to different input levels from 0 dB boost which you'd use with high output, active pickups; up to 11 dB boost which would match the very low output vintage pickups found on an old Strat. That way you won't experience a huge drop off in volume when you plug in a new guitar. That's typical of the level of thought and detail that has been put into the StompIO system."

"If I were going to use one of these systems for a live situation," remarked Ian, "I'd prefer the StompIO because it seems to offer the most flexibility and options of the units we tested. I switch guitars during our set, so having all the various amps, cabinets, and stomp boxes assigned to the various switches would make it much easier to keep the set flowing."

"We also liked the level of detail and the many illustrations found in the 80-plus page StompIO owner's manual. The StompIO manual provided detailed, step-by-step instructions for patch editing, chain and rack editing (the order you put pedal effects in, which can alter their sound a great deal), and sequence editing, where you can create up to 16 custom sequences, each containing up to 999 different patches."

"...the wah in the AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix application seemed to beautifully emulate the classic analog wah growl he got on some of his most famous songs such as 'All Along the Watchtower' and 'Voodoo Child'."

"StompIO Tones:
So what about the tones provided by the AmpliTube programs? We used the Ampeg SVX suite with Ian's vintage Fender Precision Bass, and found the tones, especially of the classic Ampeg B15R tube amp and the SVT Classic 8x10, to be authentic-sounding, with just the right combination of girth and punch. The level of detail was great, as IK also provided us with emulations of a few interesting Ampeg stomp boxes including a great bass fuzz box. AmpliTube Metal had a very long list of presets, with a range of amps and cabinets to choose from that kept us busy for a couple hours testing them all."

"Among the range of sonic flavors, our guitarist-evaluators especially liked the range of effects devices including the octaves, delays, and extremely rich flangers. Similarly, AmpliTube 2 had the right array of well-known (but unbranded) amps that are reminiscent of classic models from Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Vox, HiWatt, THD, etc. The rack and pedal effects provided us with nearly limitless opportunities to experiment and dream up combinations that would make a nice addition to any guitarist's arsenal."

"The high point of our StompIO session was digging through the AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix patches, which emulate the great guitarist's parts from his three most famous albums: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland. For instance, on "All Along the Watchtower," you can click between Jimi's intro guitar, solo fuzz guitar, solo wah guitar, and the clean sound he used to play the signature fills during the verses. As we clicked through these emulations, we could look at what stomp boxes Hendrix used on each song and marvel at the uncanny similarity to those classic guitar tracks where were recorded more than 40 years ago. The Uni-vibe, octave box and distortion pedals he used are all shown on the computer monitor. It's a bit like looking into the sonic DNA of something every guitarist knows by ear, but may never have really dissected."

Final Thoughts on IK's Guitar and Bass controllers and software up against competitive products:

"It's hard not be overwhelmed by the sheer range of choices that these types of virtual guitar rig systems offer to today's guitarist. Collectively, in the 20+ hours we spent learning and testing these systems, we pretty much felt like we had only scratched the surface of what they were capable of delivering."

"In our final assessment, we concluded that AmpliTube's Fender Studio is a good introductory program for someone just starting out and who didn't already have any type of digital audio app running on their computer."

"With regard to the actual controllers themselves, our quartet of guitarist-evaluators favored the StompIO over the KONTROL, due to its more fully-featured design and in-depth guide to learning its functions. With respect to the actual tones provided by the two different products, Ian Keighley summed it up best: 'If I were playing in a live setting, the flexibility and programmability of the StompIO would probably win me over. I could really see the StompIO's value if I was playing in a cover band and had to quickly get a few dozen classic signature sounds over the course of a set'."

"As we talked through our impressions of each of the systems, the one thing each guitarist kept coming back to was being able to perform using the AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix patches, which resulted in each one of us attempted with varying degrees of success to reproduce some of the master guitarist's best known licks. We may not have the chops that Hendrix shared with the world, but with this program, we could match the tone and effects that are etched into pop music history. If programs like this are the wave of the future of virtual instruments that are powerful yet affordable, we are going to be having a lot of fun making music."

Learn more about the powerful stage performance of StompIO.

Check out AmpliTube Fender Studio for plugging into the world of recording with the famous Fender tones.

Learn more about jamming with the sounds of AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix, AmpliTube 2 and AmpliTube Metal.

2009-07-29

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*Legal detail

AmpliTube®, AmpliTube® Live™, AmpliTube® Metal™, AmpliTube® X-GEAR™, SVX™, StompIO™, StealthPedal™, StealthPlug™, SpeedTrainer™, DSM™, are trademarks or registered trademarks property of IK Multimedia Production Srl. All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with IK Multimedia. Product names are used solely for the purpose of identifying the specific products that were studied during IK Multimedia’s sound model development and for describing certain types of tones produced with IK Multimedia’s digital modeling technology. Use of these names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement. FENDER™, STRATOCASTER™ and the distinctive headstock and body designs displayed here, and all FENDER amplifiers, logos, and trade dress are the trademarks of FMIC and used herein under license. All rights reserved. AMPEG® is a registered trademark of LOUD Technologies, Inc. used under license. Jimi Hendrix™ name used under license of Authentic Hendrix, LLC. © TM Authentic Hendrix, LLC. RiffWorks, InstantDrummer, RiffCaster, RiffLink and Sonoma Wire Works are trademarks of Sonoma Wire Works. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows Vista and the Windows logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.The Audio Units logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

AKG® is a registered trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH.
AMPEG® is a trademark of LOUD Technologies, Inc.
ARBITER® FUZZ FACE® is a registered trademark of Arbiter Group Plc.
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BOSS® is a trademark of Roland Corporation.
CELESTION™ is a trademark of Celestion International Ltd.
DIGITECH WHAMMY™ is a registered trademark of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
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FENDER®, BASSMAN®, DELUXE REVERB®, SUPER REVERB® are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
JBL® is a registered trademark of JBL Professional.
MAESTRO® FUZZTONE is a registered trademark of Gibson Electronics.
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TUBE SCREAMER® is a registered trademark of Hoshino Gakki Co. Ltd.
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5150® is a registered trademark of Edward Van Halen.